Why go
Understanding the divisions makes a country-scale itinerary easier to read. New South Wales and Victoria anchor much of the settled southeast; Queensland reaches Cape York and the Great Barrier Reef; Western Australia extends across much of the western plateau. The ACT and Northern Territory are distinct from the six states.
The full story
The six states are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The two major mainland territories are the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. Tasmania lies off the southeastern mainland, while the Northern Territory includes the Top End. Canberra, the federal capital, is in the ACT. These divisions reflect both geography and government. The states retain powers over matters such as roads, public transport and local institutions, while the two mainland territories have a different constitutional relationship with the federal parliament. For a visitor, the useful first step is geographic: the labels can describe places with very different landscapes and distances. Australia also has other territories and islands, including Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Norfolk Island and the Australian Antarctic Territory. They are not interchangeable with the two major mainland territories. Reading the region name alongside its position on the map avoids treating Australia as one uniform destination.